A cannabis farmer has been sentenced to community service for growing the drug at his home.
Police found 25 plants at Robert John Gaines’ property, 11 of which were said to be viable, and were later valued at £5,865.
Cannabis valued at £788 was also found in a jar.
High Bailiff Jayne Hughes ordered him to do 200 hours unpaid work.
They knocked on the door repeatedly but there was no answer.
Officers reported that they could see movement inside the property so they forced entry and found the 34-year-old inside.
Asked why he had not answered the door he replied: ‘Well, obviously I’m up to no good.’
Police found a row of cannabis plants in a bedroom with a basic hydroponic system.
Jars of cannabis were also found in a freezer.
When interviewed, Gaines, who lives at Ballacrosha, Ballaugh, admitted cultivating the drug.
A total of 25 plants were found, with 11 being described as viable, and 195.5 grams of flowering heads recovered from the plants.
The flowering heads were said by police to be worth £5,865 if sold, based on them all being cropped at that time.
The cannabis found in jars was said to weigh 26.1 grams and was valued by police at £788, but it was not clear if that had been taken from the plants.
Gaines’ mobile phone was analysed but no evidence of intention for onward supply was found.
Defence advocate Jim Travers asked for credit to be given for his client’s immediate guilty pleas and the fact that he has no previous drug-related convictions.
‘This has been purely for his own benefit,’ said the advocate.
‘He already had this rental property and was using it as something of a retreat. He began his own venture, simply trying to provide for his own habit and have somewhere he could relax.
‘There is no evidence of others sharing it.’
Mr Travers said that Gaines had at one point been thinking about it as a potential legitimate enterprise when approved licences are issued but had since decided against this due to the cost of the licences.
He said that he now intended to pursue growing gourmet mushrooms.
‘He is very much looking to turn it into a genuine business venture,’ said the advocate.
‘He has abandoned his own reliance on cannabis.’
Mr Travers went on to say that his client had always been industrious and had spent nearly a decade in the armed forces previously.
A probation report assessed Gaines as a low risk of harm to others and of reoffending.
High Bailiff Mrs Hughes also ordered Gaines to pay £125 prosecution costs by April 22.